Photo by by-studio via iStock
You are not alone if you’re stuck in a creative rut, searching for more motivation and landscape photography inspiration. No matter how much experience or success someone has, every landscape photographer will occasionally experience times like these.
Therefore, the key is not to prevent them altogether but to minimize their lengths when they inevitably pop up. How do you do this? Keep reading to find out!
Check out the video above by Ian Worth to see how he finds landscape photography inspiration close to home.
Table of Contents
- Explore Local Parks and Nature Reserves for Landscape Photography Inspiration
- Study the Work of Famous Landscape Photographers for Inspiration
- Experimentation Can Boost Your Landscape Photography Inspiration
- Seek Inspiration Beyond Photography
- Printing Your Best Photos Can Be the Best Landscape Photography Inspiration
- Recommended Photography Gear
Explore Local Parks and Nature Reserves for Landscape Photography Inspiration
Photo by Nate Hovee via iStock
While everyone wants to photograph famous landscapes and beautiful national parks, you don’t have to go on grand adventures to find landscape photography inspiration. Local parks, nature reserves, and wilderness areas are all wonderful places to shoot landscapes closer to home. We highly encourage you to explore these often-overlooked areas next time you need landscape photography inspiration!
There are many benefits to immersing yourself in nearby nature and letting yourself connect and be one with your surroundings. For example, you can discover new perspectives, subjects, and wildlife. You don’t always have to go with your camera, either. In fact, we actually recommend leaving the camera at home from time to time to scout locations.
If you are planning to travel for landscape photography inspiration, researching and planning your visit is essential. Tips for helping during the research/planning stage include checking weather forecasts and sunrise/sunset times, building a shot list, and investing in any special gear you may need for the photo shoot.
Study the Work of Famous Landscape Photographers for Inspiration
Ansel Adams, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Another way to find landscape photography inspiration is to study the work of famous landscape photographers like Ansel Adams. He was an environmentalist and photographer during the middle of the nineteenth century and is considered a legend in landscape photography. He took the photo above of the Grand Tetons and Snake River in 1942.
His dedication to core photography principles, such as composition, use of light, and choice of subjects, set him apart from other photographers of his time. Since they didn’t have digital cameras during his time, he would spend hours searching for and composing the perfect scene.
Next time you are at home and need landscape photography inspiration, pull up some of his photos online and compare and contrast yours next to them. It’s a great way to analyze your photography skills and improve your creative eye.
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Experimentation Can Boost Your Landscape Photography Inspiration
Photo by Smileus via iStock
An easy way to lose landscape photography inspiration is to repeatedly take the same style of photos over and over again. To avoid this, we recommend regularly experimenting with different types of shots, angles, perspectives, etc.
If you are short on ideas, consider investing in a new lens for landscape photography, such as a telephoto or macro lens. Using a new lens will completely change your approach and force you to devise new ways to capture the essence of a landscape. Photographing the same landscape in different seasons is also a fun way to gain landscape photography inspiration.
Adopting the mindset of a “lifelong learner” is another way to spark an interest in landscape photography. Watching videos on YouTube and browsing Instagram feeds of popular landscape photographers are two quick ways to feed your thirst for knowledge. Alternatively, you could sign up for a landscape photography workshop or enroll in a landscape photography course!
Seek Inspiration Beyond Photography
Photo by Eloi_Omella via iStock
Not all landscape photography inspiration has to come from photography itself, though. Creativity and passion surround us all the time, which means you can learn lessons and gain inspiration from anything, whether it’s other art forms like painting, literature, film, and music or something unrelated like sports and cooking.
Let’s look specifically at painting. When thinking about what makes a good painting, many of the same rules apply to photography. So, next time you are in a museum, focus on specific artistic aspects such as composition, color, and mood to see how the artist used them successfully and if you can do the same in your photos.
We’ve even had it happen that reading a book or watching a movie inspires us to start a new landscape photography project. National Geographic and the Discovery Channel are two of our go-to places for landscape photography inspiration.
Printing Your Best Photos Can Be the Best Landscape Photography Inspiration
Finally, there’s no better source of landscape photography inspiration than yourself! The more often you see your images and are reminded of the photos and the memories that accompany them, the more likely you are to head into nature with your camera on a regular basis. In addition, printed photos offer a richer viewing experience than digital screens, allow for a more tactile viewing experience, and evoke stronger emotional connections.
Our favorite way to view and connect with our images is to print them and proudly display them by hanging them around our homes and offices. To help with printing, we often turn to our friends at Large Metal Prints. They are a cutting-edge online printing company that specializes in—you guessed it—metal prints!
Metal prints pair particularly well with landscape photography because they accentuate contrast and colors, making them more visually appealing. Moreover, Large Metal Prints offers various metal print styles, sizes, and prices so that you can choose the best fit for your needs and budget.
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